Family, Friends, Fans Bid Farewell To Ben Breedlove, Who Touched Many

In Austin yesterday more than 1,500 people gathered — as many more watched online — to say goodbye to a Texas teen who "reached millions across the world" with the videos he posted online in the months before his Christmas Day death, The American-Statesman reports.

Ben Breedlove, 18, had hypertrophic cardiomyopathy — "a thickening of the heart muscle that makes it work harder," as the newspaper says. His videos, which included Ben's description of a vision he said he had after a cardiac arrest last month, inspired many.

A friend of Breedlove's, 17-year-old Glynn Sullivan, tells the American-Statesman that "I don't have any memories of that kid without him having a smile on his face. ... As kids we think we're invincible, especially in high school, but Ben showed us we're not."

Austin's KXAN-TV has a video report on the service and Ben's life. It says that Ben's videos inspired "thousands of comments" from people they touched.